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Ron Witwicky
Ronald "RON" WITWICKY is Sparkplug's younger brother. Possessing much of his brother's mechanic skills, Ron chose to apply those skills to whatever suited his passions, be it repairing motorcycles in the late '60s to working and leading tech crews for rock concerts as well as jazz and blues festivals. As age progressed, Ron and his wife Judy settled down in Portland and Ron took a job as a high-school English teacher, a position that has won him numerous state and two national teaching awards. Ron, who has spent most of his life watching his diet and working in an closed, sheltered environment (as opposed to working on oil rigs and in mines), is noticeably sprier than his older brother. Though age has slowed him down, he is still mobile, routinely making visits to his brother. He is close to his son Sam, as well as his nephew Buster, whom Ron helped raise while his brother was off having adventures with the Autobots. Background Personal life Ronald Witwicky was born August 24, 1944 in Chicago, IL to Margaret, a nurse, and Jeremiah Witwicky, a field laborer and part-time preacher. His brother is Autobot ally and mechanic Sparkplug Witwicky. As soon as Ron graduated high school (after being held back a year for poor grades due to slacking, not lack of intelligence), he escaped his father's compound at age 19 and moved to California in 1963. Ron graduated from University of California, Berkeley in 1967, and later earned a graduate degree in order to teach high school English. Family history Ron and Sparkplug have an unparalleled respect for one another as brothers, although their vastly different paths in life have hindered the formation of a close brotherly bond. Both brothers were raised in a strict, fundamentalist household with a hardened disciplinarian father acting as head of the household. Their rigid upbringing caused both brothers to rebel against their father, who was more willing to use a switch instead of praise as a motivator for good behavior. Sparkplug rebelled by setting out to be totally self-sufficient as early as possible in his life. Ron's act of rebellion was to immerse himself in the bohemian community. As Sparkplug set out to start a family (cut tragically short by the death of his wife in a car crash in 1981), Ron took more of a free-spirited path. Possessing much of his brother's mechanic skills, Ron chose to apply those skills to whatever suited his passions, be it repairing motorcycles in the late '60s, to working and leading tech crews for rock concerts as well as jazz and blues festivals. He met his wife, Judy, at the Newport Jazz Festival. The wedding was not attended to by his father, who has routinely warned Sparkplug to avoid the "godless" influence of his charismatic younger brother. His father's criticisms of his vocation grew in intensity over the years, to the point where his father finally accused Ron of being a direct messenger for the devil for enabling the "devil's music" to reach a mass audience. In 1981, after the death of Sparkplug's wife, Ron sometimes stepped in and helped out his older brother. Ron's sense of discipline, albeit unconventional (for him, making sure shows started on time and had the right audio settings was just as important as any schedule in the military) - helped his nephews and his brother slowly recover from Susan's death. Ron would routinely write up 'chore lists' that were customized to the strengths of Spike, Buster, and Sparkplug. His patented 'chore list' helped regain a sense of normalcy and order in the Witwicky household. When Spike fell into a two-month long coma at the hand of a devastating attack by Frenzy in the early '90s, Ron's father, on a heated phone call, told him that the attack was another punishment brought forth by God to Sparkplug for him not instilling a stricter biblical code of conduct for his boys. Enraged, Ron hung up on his father. The two never spoke again and it was only at Judy's insistent urging that Ron attended his father's funeral in 1998. As age progressed, Ron and Judy settled down in Portland and Ron took a job as a high-school English teacher, a position that has won him numerous state and two national teaching awards. Favorite Books Of All Time *''Breakfast of Champions'' - Kurt Vonnegut *''Life'' - Keith Richards *''The Floating Opera'' - John Barth *''Lord of the Flies'' - William Golding *''Hamlet ''- Shakespeare Favorite Albums of All Time *''The White Album'' - The Beatles *''The Wall ''- Pink Floyd *''Blonde on Blonde'' - Bob Dylan *''Are You Experienced?'' - The Jimi Hendrix Experience *''The River'' - Bruce Springsteen *''Stardust'' - Willie Nelson *''Greatest Hits'' - The Statler Brothers *''The Velvet Underground and Nico'' - The Velvet Underground MUX Pre-History In the early '80s, Ron and Judy routinely volunteered to look after Buster during Sparkplug's extended contracts on offshore oil rigs and mining excursions in Burma. However, when Spike and his father were rescued by the Autobots, the short-term solution quickly turned into a long-term arrangement. During this time, Ron had conflicting views about the situation. He knew that the opportunity that presented itself to Sparkplug and Spike was something that was nearly impossible to pass up - a chance that few people of their economic and social background are offered. Still, Ron's idealistic nature led him to take the stance that no matter how great the opportunity was, Sparkplug still chose the wants of one son over the needs of another son. As a result, Ron has always harbored a slight, unspoken resentment toward his other nephew. Living in a two-bedroom house, Ron and Judy put off starting a family until Buster neared graduation from his high school. A self-described "hippie disciplinarian," Ron allowed Buster to freely explore whatever passion suited him (be it comic books, heavy metal or science fiction), but at the same time demanding Buster contribute to their household more-so than any of Buster's peers. Ron encouraged Buster to take part in outdoor activities, but when Buster expressed little to no interest, Ron encouraged him to explore other avenues - just anything that did not involve a TV set. If Buster showed no interest in helping repair the roof, he was expected to fix dinner for the entire family or wash the hardwood floors - alone. Ron possessed a keen awareness of Buster's sensitive nature, realizing Buster had lost a mother and in a short time later, saw his father taking on a far more distant role. As a result, Ron made an intense effort to act as Buster's advocate, be it confronting the parents of a bully at school to challenging a teacher who gave Buster an unfair grade. This was usually done without Buster's knowledge. Though Sparkplug thought of this approach as coddling, Ron viewed it as providing Buster with a much-needed self-esteem boost, like a boxing trainer who repeatedly lays heavy praise on his boxer to boost his confidence in the ring. Ron used this comparison when came up with the nickname for his nephew: "Champ." Some of his surrogate parenting skills were on the unorthodox side - though he often was lighthearted with his nephew, he almost never joked with Buster for fear that his joshing may be perceived by Buster as cruel teasing. While the living arrangement caused stress for Ron and Judy (tight living quarters forced the family to move Buster in the attic to give him more privacy, dealing with all the years of a teenager's adolescent angst from age 13 to 19), both quickly grew to have a deep affection for Buster, treating him like a fully-integrated member of the family and not an extended house-guest. As a result, Ron and Buster's closeness continues well into their adult years as the two correspond on an almost daily basis. MUX History Slowed down by a knee replacement and repeated visits to his brother in a nursing home, Ron began to worry about Buster's relationship with Spike. With Sam taking up all Ron and Judy's time and energy and Buster living on his own (with roommates, which were pretty much a second family), Ron felt Buster's ties with his immediate family would all but disappear without intervention. Ron, paid for two tickets for Buster and his girlfriend to go to New York City. The only catch: he wanted Buster to make a stop to White Plains, NY, where Spike was receiving extensive rehabilitation for the after-effects from the mindswap. Ron didn't want, nor expected Buster to put years of strained ties behind him, but with Spike's condition, Ron eventually convinced Buster that if any change were to happen in their relationship, Buster would have to make the first move since Spike was almost literally incapable of making the first move. Ron, who has spent most of his life watching his diet and working in an closed, sheltered environment (as opposed to working on oil rigs and in mines), is noticeably sprier than his brother. Though age has slowed him down (a knee replacement and waiting until age 47 to start a family does that to a guy), he is still mobile, routinely making visits to his brother, who currently lives with the Autobots as well as his sons in Autobot City . In 2011, due to world-wide flooding, Judy and Ron abandoned their home and took residence aboard the Ark until the waters receded. In late 2012, Ron and Judy decided to retire in Washington, thanks possibly to a few legislative victories that happened in November in that state. With Sparkplug finally put in capable care in Autobot City and their only biological son in college, the two have began to enjoy retired life by doing things most retired couples do: taking a few trips, volunteering, and taking up a few hobbies. However, both Run and Judy slowly realize that their lifestyle may encounter a few bumps in 2014 if the prospect of no post-college jobs force their son to move back in with them. On April 7, 2014, Ron attended the handfasting of Buster Witwicky to Jesse Macchio. In 2016, a dip in Sparkplug's health brought him very close to death. When Sparkplug recovered, he took what might be his last trip to Cybertron, to visit the building named in his honor. Spike went with him, bringing Ron and Judy as well. Involvement Ron primarily serves as a background character for the MUX, existing in many-a-flashbacks that involved Sparkplug's decision to protect his son Buster until he was old enough to join the Autobots. Logs 1980 * Sep 1 - Labor Day weekend - "A Hellish Education" - A standard Labor Day family dinner turns sour when Sparkplug's father lays down some old school Biblical fire and brimstone to the young Witwicky brothers. 1981 * April - "A Slow Recovery" - Four weeks after the funeral of Sparkplug's wife, Susan, the Witwicky house falls into neglect with an 11-year-old Spike having to tend to both his grieving father and his shell-shocked little brother. Desperate and hungry, Spike takes Buster and heads to his aunt and uncle's house for a hot meal. 1985 * " Adjustments" - While Spike recovers from his injuries, Ron poses some direct questions to his brother about his decision to help the Autobots. 1992 * "Quiz" - Ron and Judy provide some much-needed family support to Buster during his Academic Decathlon. Category:1985 1993 *August 7 - Graduation Day : Ron and Judy try unsuccessfully to throw Buster the graduation party he deserves...three months too late. 2010 *March 18 - B-Boys: While Buster tends to Spike's injuries, the site of a basketball hoop brings back ugly memories of a one-on-one game. *March 22 - Choices: Buster's stressin'. First, a flashback to when his dad finally offered him a chance to live with him and Spike at the Ark. Then, he is chosen to deliver a speech in front of thousands for his class. 2016 *March 25 - "Ron and Judy" - Concerned about Sparkplug's health, Judy and Ron Witwicky travel to Autobot City to visit Ron's brother, possibly for the last time. * April 03 - "Time to Go" - After the ordeal in Trion Square, The Witwickys headed home after given a full salute by the Autobots present for Sparkplug’s possibly-last sendoff. Players Ron and Judy Witwicky are currently jointly temped by Bzero and SpikeWitwicky. However, they are available for application for those who would like to play them. Quotes "Hey! I don't know what's going on, but we've got to move!" Ron Witwicky @ hark.com References Trivia Ron is based on the character from the non-canonical live-action Transformers movies, but serves a much smaller background role, since in the MUXverse the Autbots aligned with his brother Sparkplug instead of his son Sam. See also Ron Witwicky (Shattered Glass) In the Shattered Glass universe, RON is a definite opposite of his raging drunk brother Sparkplug. Unfortunately, his distaste in his Sparkplug's parenting skills never translated to action. While the Prime universe versions of Ron and Judy Witwicky no doubt indulged in a few substances during their courtship (and some after), they never made it central to their existence. The same can't be said for the Shattered Glass universe versions of Ron and Judy. Instead they try to eek out a living as drug dealers, and are usually found stoned out of their minds on pot, acid, mushrooms and Quaaludes. Judy does most of the actual dealing while Ron smokes away the profits. One of these days they’re going to branch out and do something else, but not today. It’s never today. Category:Autobots Category:available Category:Characters Category:FCs Category:Humans Category:Witwicky Family